Persons with existing wounds resulting from, for example, medical procedures, burns, traumatic injuries, or decubitus ulcers, often have difficulty resting on surfaces such as a bed, due to the pain and irritation associated with contact between the wound and the resting surface. Additionally, persons who are confined to a bed for an extended period of time, typically lie in a supine position, and may develop decubitus ulcers, particularly on the buttocks or the lower back. The four main causes of decubitus ulcers, individually or in any combination, are pressure, friction, shear and moisture resulting from prolonged contact between the person's body and the bed or the bed sheets. The treatment of decubitus ulcers of the buttocks or the lower back is further complicated for those bedridden patients who also experience incontinence. Bodily excretions, including urine and feces, can irritate existing decubitus ulcers or areas of the patient's body susceptible to decubitus ulcers.
Support devices for the care of wounds such as pads, pillows, and cushions are known. These devices typically include at least one layer of material to support and cushion a wound. Such devices are typically loosely positioned under, or adjacent to, the user. In some instances, multiple support devices can be positioned adjacent to the user to create a gap which is approximately positioned at the location of user's wound. Adjustable mattresses, for the prevention of decubitus ulcers, are also known. Such mattresses vary the load placed on a person's skin by adding or removing air, in a programmed manner, to and from specific areas of the mattress.
Existing support devices and adjustable mattresses have a number of drawbacks. Existing support devices typically provide uneven support to person's body, particularly at the area of the wound and the area immediately surrounding the wound. Existing support devices are typically loosely positioned next to the body of the user and are often easily dislodged and mis-positioned. Such devices typically require continual readjustment in response to movement and repositioning of the user. Additionally, existing support devices typically do not eliminate frictional or direct contact of the device with the wound. Existing adjustable mattresses and the typical support devices do not locally suspend the wound or potential wound area and are not configurable to specific wound sizes and shapes. Further, existing support devices and adjustable mattresses do not typically accommodate bodily excretions. Moreover, existing adjustable mattresses are expensive, not disposable, and often difficult to maintain and operate.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system for the care and prevention of wounds that overcome these and other disadvantages of existing support devices and adjustable mattresses. A significant need exists for a system for the care and prevention of wounds which enables a person to rest on a generally horizontal surface, such as a bed, without irritating an existing wound or an area susceptible to decubitus ulcers. A need exists for a system to evenly and comfortably suspend the locations of decubitus ulcers, or the locations most susceptible to development of decubitus ulcers, above a resting surface. A need also exists for a system which eliminates the four main causes of decubitus ulcers, pressure, friction, shear and moisture. What is needed is a wound care suspension system which is easily custom fit to support specific wounds of different sizes or shapes. What is also needed is a wound care suspension system that is inexpensive, easy to apply to a patient and disposable. It would be advantageous to develop a wound care suspension system which is configured to accommodate bodily excretions in order to minimize the effect of such excretions on wounds or potential wound locations.